Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Tuesday
decided to raise compensation for the Netai massacre victims
to Rs five lakh from Rs two lakh on a par with those of the
2007 Nandigram firing.

"Our government has decided to give an additional Rs
three lakh compensation to the families of those who died at
Netai," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters.

The erstwhile Left Front government had paid Rs two
lakh to the next of kin of the victims after a direction from
the Calcutta High Court.

"When the incident at Netai took place we were not in
power and those who were in power were forced to give
compensation of Rs two lakh to the families of the deceased,"
she said.

Banerjee said since the next of kin of the 14 victims
in the Nandigram police firing of March 14, 2007 were paid Rs
five lakh each following a court order, the government decided
to raise the compensation at Netai to a similar amount.

She also said her government would decide on NHRC`s
recommendations for compensation to the victims of Trinamool
Congress-CPI(M) clashes in Nandigram.

"Nobody was given compensation by the previous
government. We will take a decision after studying the
recommendations of the human rights commission," the chief
minister said.

Altogether nine persons were killed at Netai in West
Midnapore district on January seven this year when armed
CPI(M) cadre allegedly fired on villagers protesting their
atrocities.

The incident before the Assembly elections had sparked
a furore in West Bengal, with the ripples also reaching the
Centre. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who had been
raising the issue of armed party camps in the state, had also
expressed concern.